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Aimplach
Once, and still in some parts, known as Under-Sympolemou, Aimplach is the habitable territory below the Land of Blood and Horror. Little is known of its people or culture, save that one of its geographical features is known as the Hell Pit. Geography Located under the Forest of Bones, a chasm named the Hell Pit stretches through Sympolemou's underworld. The area is crawling with dangerous creatures, the smell of brimstone wafts through the tunnels, and the walls are lined with dangerous Darkstar Iron Ore. No Rat has reached the bottom and returned to tell the tale, and the ones who have attempted to do so before returning in failure have reported seeing nothing other than inky blackness and hearing the sound of screaming in the depths below. Resources Tunnel Wolves are strange, wolflike creatures. They seem to be blind, given that they lack eyes, but clearly have some way of discerning their surroundings given that they are adept scavengers and are considered something of a challenge to hunt. Not that it stops the Sympol; their meat is reportedly quite tasty to the ratmen. Screeching Crystals are strange, crystalline growths that can be found scattered throughout Aimplach, especially in the region directly under the Heart of the North. They grow in strange shapes, resembling blood-red trees or webs of hard and brittle material. Their strangest property, however, is the discordant screeching and incessant chittering noises that they produce. Whatever causes this, it isn't true sound, though it is perceived as heard; Earmuffs have no effect whatsoever, and it's nearly impossible to concentrate near these annoyances. A Sympol can make decent pay by chopping these up and moving them away from settlements. They do have some use, however: Grinding the crystals to dust produces a potent inhaled auditory hallucinogen. While most hallucinations are described as otherworldly noises with no real meaning, some have reported hearing voices... Darkstar Iron is an unusual variety of Iron that appears to be incredibly reactive. When struck, it produces a wreath of black flames that smell of sulphur. These do not heat or deform the iron itself, but can have ill effects on flesh and other materials sensitive to highly concentrated heat, as unlike normal fire, the Black flames do not radiate heat outside of direct contact. If death is one's goal, it's hard to go wrong with Darkstar Iron Weaponry. Though don't use it for the hilt, or you might lose a hand. Stone is lacking in Aimplach, as most of the region consists of a tunnel network through densely-packed Regolith. Sturdier materials are necessary to reinforce cities and prevent frequent cave-ins. People The peoples of Aimplach are notably more varied than the rest of the Kingdom of the Iron Doctrine, though that's only because the Sympol share their space with other species. The Sympol themselves are present in numbers, of course, and have flourished throughout the region. Most Sympol in Aimplach are either black-furred or quickly become black-furred due to the huge quantities of dirt and dust moving through the tunnels at any one time. Perhaps more interesting are the Nothokhua, a race of Mantids somewhat similar to the beasts of burden in Kasumor, though too small to use as mounts and far more intelligent. Though they cannot vocalize in the same sense as most other races can, they seem to be born with knowledge of (a dialect of) Old Cloudiz, and can understand speech in that language or others taught to them. Among themselves, they communicate using a series of clicks, pauses, and whistles that stand in for letters and punctuation in the Elder Cloudiz alphabet. Though most anyone can learn to understand this cipher eventually, only the Sympol seem to have the ability to effectively imitate it, and that takes significant effort. The Nothokhua do not share many values typical of sapient species in Telluris. While they retain instincts for self-preservation, for most the desire for freedom has simply been bred out. While all are individuals with distinct personalities, most of them prefer servitude to freedom. While outright slavery is not practised in Sympolemou (and illegal anyway given that these are technically citizens under Glazfelli Common Law), many choose to sell themselves into a contract of indentured servitude for food, water, and employment along with basic creature comforts. Not all Nothokhua choose to do so, however: Some opt to explore the wider world, accepting positions as caravan guards and such. While these freer spirits do not adopt a single master to serve, they rarely choose to lead and prefer to follow. References http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=17599442&postcount=20 Category:Regions Category:Underground Regions Category:Regions of Telluris Category:Underground Regions of Telluris